Eli Stowers TE Vanderbilt |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #9 ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/04/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.51 seconds (96%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.3 DOB: 04/15/2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #9 | |
| ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |
| Last Updated: 03/04/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.51 seconds (96%*) | |
| Age: 23.3 DOB: 04/15/2003 | |
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 85.1 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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80% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 108.9 | |
| Hands: |
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81% |
| Short Receiving: |
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90% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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91% |
| Deep Threat: |
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91% |
| Blocking: |
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64% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Late
Overall Rank:
#53
Position rank:
#2 (TE)
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| College Games: 39 College Snaps: 1269 | ||
ESPN RATING: 82/100
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247 RATING: 94/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Trey McBride - Colorado State |
|
91% |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders - Texas |
|
79% |
| Cade Stover - Ohio State |
|
79% |
Drafted: ROUND: 2 - Pick Number: 54 (PHI)
Draft Profile: Bio
Eli Stowers was a consensus four-star quarterback recruit out of Denton Guyer High School in Texas, rated by 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN. He led Guyer to the Texas 6A state championship game as a junior and won the 2019 state high jump title at seven feet. He signed with Texas A&M and spent two seasons as a reserve quarterback before transferring to New Mexico State in 2023, where he switched to tight end full time.The position change clicked quickly. He posted 35 receptions for 366 yards and two touchdowns, contributed as a runner with 29 carries for 113 yards and two scores, and even threw a touchdown pass. He earned Honorable Mention All-Conference USA and graded inside PFF's top-20 tight ends despite limited snaps. He followed offensive coordinator Tim Beck to Vanderbilt the next offseason.
At Vanderbilt, Stowers caught 50 passes for 644 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, earning first-team All-SEC honors. He returned for 2025 and won the John Mackey Award and the William V. Campbell Trophy while posting 62 catches for 769 yards and four touchdowns. He earned consensus first-team All-America recognition. Across three seasons at the position, Stowers totaled 148 receptions for 1,774 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Covers ground quickly in the seam with real speed, forcing safeties to respect his vertical ability.
- Soft, reliable hands that adjust well to off-target throws and contested windows.
- Quarterback background gives him advanced feel for sitting in zones and finding soft spots.
- Breaks out of route stems with quick feet that give linebackers real trouble mirroring him.
- Catch radius is outstanding thanks to long arms and an absurd vertical leap.
- Shows burst and awareness after the catch, turning short receptions into meaningful gains.
- Lines up everywhere: slot, wide, inline, backfield. Tough to game-plan around that versatility.
- Year-over-year improvement since converting to tight end has been steady and measurable.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Undersized at 239 pounds, which shows up quickly in physical matchups at the line.
- Run blocking is underdeveloped and he gets moved too easily by bigger defenders.
- Drop rate climbed in 2025 after a much cleaner 2024, worth monitoring going forward.
- Can get bumped off his route by physical coverage at the top of his stem.
- No special teams experience in college, which could limit early roster value.
Scouting Report: Summary
Stowers is not a traditional inline tight end and probably never will be. His value at the next level is as a pass-catching weapon who wins from detached alignments and forces defenses to account for his speed and ball skills every snap. At 239 pounds with raw technique, asking him to hold up against NFL edge defenders in the run game is a losing proposition right now. He fits best in an offense that uses its tight ends as receivers first, one that moves him around the formation and creates space for him to work the middle of the field and down the seam.The right scheme matters here. Offenses that lean on 12 personnel as passing formations rather than power run looks would get the most out of him early. He can be a genuine mismatch from the slot against linebackers who cannot stay with his speed, or against safeties who cannot match his length at the catch point. The quarterback instincts from his earlier career show up in how quickly he processes coverage, and that kind of feel is not coachable.
What makes Stowers a worthwhile investment is that he has only been playing tight end for three seasons, and the growth from year to year has been clear. He went from a part-time contributor at New Mexico State to a Mackey Award winner at Vanderbilt. The receiving traits are already advanced. If a coaching staff is willing to be patient with the blocking development and invest time in the weight room, there is a real ceiling here. The floor is a situational player who stretches the field from day one, and that alone carries value.
Eli Stowers percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Eli Stowers (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
64.1
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
3.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.